Viktor Chernyshev, head of the farm “Elizaveta”, Akmola region, Republic of Kazakhstan:
We have a small farm, one might say, a family business. We are growing potatoes for the sixth season, and today the crop covers an area of 30 hectares. Like many in the republic, we chose the Gala variety, which suits us in all respects, as well as Baltic Rose. In the future, we plan to add a few more crops to the crop rotation, but so far there is simply no time left for this.
In a bad year, we harvested 20 tons of potatoes per hectare, but last season the yield was about 40-45 tons per hectare. Irrigation is indispensable in our conditions, but we still have to solve problems with the efficiency of irrigation systems and water supply. It is not always possible to water on time, and for the last four seasons this has become a limiting factor for the farm.
We buy seeds of high reproductions from the originators, but more often from other, larger farms. We propagate on our own and update in time to maintain the high quality of the seed material.
Of the diseases, rhizoctoniosis delivers the most problems to us. The growing season for potatoes is short, we try to plant the tubers early and often get on cold nights. We constantly have to work against Alternariosis. But we do not have fogs and wet nights, so late blight almost never occurs. Of the pests, we have been actively fighting the armyworm for the third year in a row, but we react promptly, so we do not see any damage from it.
With plant protection products, I do not notice any interruptions. The products of Western companies, such as Bayer, are widely represented, there are also preparations from Russian manufacturers: Schelkovo Agrokhim and August.
For us, the most painful issue is the lack of funds for the acquisition of modern technology. Today, a new potato harvester can exceed the value of our entire farm. We are forced to work with battered machines, which have a much smaller resource. As a result, frequent breakdowns and additional costs for spare parts.
Once we bought an abandoned old building, restored it and now we store potatoes there. We start selling products in the winter, because it is unrealistic to do it in the fall at a price that suits us. Sales go until the beginning of April, when we start preparing for the new season.
Almost all of our potatoes are sold through large wholesale markets and from there it is distributed to retail chains and small shops. Part of the crop is bought up in small wholesale. We have enough local sales market, while large producers tend to export potatoes.
In Kazakhstan, we are seeing a trend towards the consolidation of farms, as it has become unprofitable to grow crops in small volumes. Most likely, there will be less and less small producers every year. There is only one way for HC “Elizaveta” – to grow and develop, which is what we are trying to do. We draw useful information from various sources, introduce new ideas and technologies into production. Increasing profits, we get the opportunity to purchase the necessary equipment, and gradually it becomes easier for us to work.
